April 7, 2021
Vol. 119 NO. 1
ASCWU still frustated by lack of additional learning materials
I’m very disappointed by your grades.
Mitchell Roland News Editor ASCWU currently has a list of faculty who students have said are not providing enough learning materials in their classes. This comes after a year of complaints from students that faculty members have not provided enough supplemental materials. Currently, the list consists of 12 faculty members spread across all four colleges at CWU. On the list, there are two faculty members in the College of Business, two in the College of the Sciences, four in the College of Arts and Humanities and four in the College of Education and Professional Studies. ASCWU President Mickael Candelaria said the list is ultimately about holding professors accountable. “Most of the time, they honestly don’t know. And that’s what we think they found out with the first wave of names,” Candelaria said. However, Provost Michelle DenBeste said she has not seen the list ASCWU compiled. “I have not ever seen the list, or know for sure that it exists,” DenBeste said. “We heard from some students who are struggling.” DenBeste said CWU has worked to find solutions to the student complaints. “There are some professors who are not answering emails, who are not responding, who are not as present as students would like,” DenBeste said. “We’ve been working hard to deal with that. I don’t think it’s the majority of people, but I think it’s frustrating if you’re a student in the class.” DenBeste said there is accountability among faculty, and that CWU has had
See ASCWU, Page 2
Graphic by Rebekah Blum
Football team’s COVID-free streak up to nine weeks Jared Galanti Senior Reporter With COVID-19 testing happening every Tuesday and results getting back Wednesday the football team has made it nine straight weeks without a single positive test. Head coach Christopher Fisk said the entire team has taken the virus seriously and that starts with the team leaders that were voted on by the players.
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“We have a leadership group here in our program that is formed by a guy from each position group voted on by their teammates, they have done a great job,” Fisk said. “But I think everybody in our program from the players to our coaches to our training staff, everybody is excited to play this game in Montana.” The Wildcats first game of the season is on April 10 against the University of Montana Grizzlies.
Fisk said that protocols such as team members staying within their personal bubble of people, having limited amounts of personnel in a room during meetings, wearing masks at all times while practicing and constantly using hand sanitizer have given the football team the ability to play next week. Will Ortner, a senior offensive linemen, praised both the coaching staff and the players for taking the virus very seriously.
“And then when it comes down to the players I know a lot of guys, some of our more senior guys like (running back) Michael Roots and (linebacker) Donte Hamilton, those guys are really harping on it too for their respective sides (of the ball),” Ortner said. Both Fisk and Ortner said that they are really impressed by the diligence the players
Page 4 TikTok: Making dreams come true
Page 6-7 CWU receives $24 million
Page 10 Volleyball begins new season
See COVID-free, Page 11
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April 7, 2021
NEWS ASCWU from Page 1
procedures in place since before the pandemic for when faculty do not fulfill their job duties. However, since it’s a personnel issue, DenBeste said “students often don’t hear what’s going on behind the scenes with that.” “A lot does happen behind the scenes that don’t see, and shouldn’t see, because it’s private and confidential, and the wheels are moving,” DenBeste said. In resolutions announced on March 2, ASCWU wrote that “a number of current CWU faculty have not been providing students supplemental learning aides” and “students are struggling to learn course materials without these learning aides.” The resolution called on the office of the provost to release a statement or
policy which “mandates ALL CWU faculty to provide students with recorded videos or real-time online lectures.” Candelaria said there was hope that the university would mandate some type of lectures from faculty, though this has not happened yet. “I know it can be a tricky situation because we were hoping for a blanket solution, but I don’t know if there really is a blanket solution to this,” Candelaria said. “It doesn’t seem like our admin is as willing and able to implement straight across the board that mandates faculty to have lectures of some sort the way that we, student government, thought they would.” DenBeste said the request from ASCWU for professors to provide recorded lectures might not be the best practice. “If you read about pedagogy, more and more you hear that lectures are re-
ally super old school and it’s not, it’s not the best way to do things whether we’re in class or online,” DenBeste said. The idea behind having more asynchronous classes with fewer lectures is to provide students with more flexibility, DenBeste said. “The consensus in education world is that it would really be better to do more asynchronous so that students who had jobs or families or things that had changed because of the pandemic would still be able to get their classwork done,” DenBeste said. “It turns out that, at least at Central, a lot of students really, really, really dislike the asynchronous classes, so we’re doing fewer of them.” Another one of ASCWU’s frustrations is that CWU was not using student evaluations over the past year in the faculty review process, though this has changed for the spring quarter.
“Their [student evaluations] weren’t being taken for faculty review, but students were still being graded,” Candelaria said. “So, it was kind of like they were holding students accountable but not their faculty to that same level. So that’s kind of why student government is frustrated, and we know the student body is frustrated.” DenBeste said part of the issue is that most students don’t fill out these evaluations at all. “Students were kind of irritated because we were counting student evaluations for professors differently right now because professors are experiencing COVID as well,” DenBeste said. “Very few students fill them out. Percentage-wise, the return rate is very low. So, I would really encourage students to do that, COVID or otherwise.”
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April 7, 2021
NEWS
The Services and Activities Committee holds first spring meeting, hears new business on funding
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Sean Bessette Assistant News Editor The Services and Activities Committee (S&A) held its first meeting of spring quarter on March 31 and discussions regarding funding for the Wellness Center, the music department and the Wildcat Neighborhood Farm were held. In the meeting, it was shared that Lacy Lampkins, the student funds financial manager, and Joey Bryant, the committee’s advisor, presented the budget recommendation, which was deliberated on prior to spring break, to the President’s Budget Advisory Committee (PBAC). PBAC will vote and conclude on the recommendation on April 13, according to Lampkins. The first order of new business presented during the meeting dealt with funding for a P.A.T.H. advocate. P.A.T.H. stands for prevention, advocacy, training and healing and provides a variety of services, some of which are confidential, for students who have experienced sexual harassment, stalking, dating violence or sexual assault. Director of Wellness Center Marissa Howat spoke to the S&A Committee about reclaiming funding of $82,343 for a full-time P.A.T.H. advocate position. The funding would cover for a little over a year. Howat has taken on the position since it opened 10 months ago. The second order of new business came from Director of Orchestras Ni-
Photo by Sean Bessette/The Observer
The Wildcat Neighborhood Farm, located on the northeast side of campus, requested to carry over up to $24,000 in funds to expand its services.
kolas Caoile. The music department requested to carry over unused funds of $105,628.15 from previously approved quadrennium-based funding. The funds were previously designated to an invitation to perform at The Midwest Clinic in Chicago in Dec. 2020. “The Midwest Clinic is considered the pinnacle for recognition of a student ensemble at the international level,” Caoile said in the meeting. The clinic is now happening Dec. 2021 in Chicago and the CWU symphony orchestra has been invited.
Seidy Morales, orchestra senator for the National Association for Music Education, spoke during the public comment section of the meeting following the new business about potentially not being able to attend The Midwest Clinic. “It would truly just be a crime to our education to deprive us of this experience and honor that we have worked every hard for,” Morales said. They would become the seventh collegiate orchestra to ever perform at The Midwest Clinic since the clinic began in 1946. Multiple other music major students spoke during the public comment sec-
tion promoting the opportunity to attend The Midwest Clinic. The third order of new business dealt with the Wildcat Neighborhood Farm. Farm and Sustainability Manager Kate Doughty requested to carry over up to $24,000 to be able to expand the services the farm offers. This includes being able to “build out the seed library, provide more transplants for our garden participants as well as respond to any access needs that come from our garden participants,” Doughty said. The S&A Committee will meet again on Wednesday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m.
President James Gaudino recognized by the Washington State legislature Sean Bessette
Assistant News Editor Both chambers of the Washington State Legislature recently adopted identical resolutions honoring President James Gaudino for his service throughout his tenure. Senators Judy Warnick, Jeff Holy, Jim Honeyford, T’wina Nobles, Bob Hasegawa and Lynda Wilson sponsored the resolution (SR 8615) in the senate. Representatives Mike Sells, Tom Dent, Brad Klippert, Cyndy Jacobsen, Mari Leavitt, Debra Lekanoff, Alex Ybarra, Gerry Pollet and Kelly Chambers sponsored the resolution (HR 4611) passed in the house. Warnick said it was important to recognize Gaudino because he’s been a “champion” for the university. Gaudino said he was flattered by the recognition, but pointed out that it’s about more than just himself. “I consider it truly a group recognition that they just put my name on because probably it was too long to list 12,000 people,” Gaudino said. He pointed out that nothing the senators or representatives said in their testimonies were things he accomplished single-handedly and that it was a compliment to the university. The resolutions stated Gaudino’s leadership was “instrumental” in overcoming some of the most challenging times in the university’s history.
“Central has gone through some tough times under his leadership and you know, I’ve been impressed with how things have come around,” Warnick said. Warnick first met Gaudino during a speech at the start of his tenure and said she thought, “boy, is he a good communicator.” Sells agreed and added that Gaudino is a “great promoter” of the university. The resolutions listed nine reasons for the recognition, including avoiding mass layoffs, increasing financial stability, modernizing and digitalizing the 14 business processes, overhauling campus technology and data management systems, modernizing budget and management processes, modernizing enrollment management, expanding educational opportunities by launching online degree programs and insisting on science-informed pandemic strategies. Additionally, the resolutions made note of the work Gaudino has done on “creating a welcoming and inclusive campus climate,” something Warnick found especially important. The university has earned the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award in six of the past seven years. The resolution was adopted in the House of Representatives on March 23 and the resolution was adopted in the Senate on March 24.
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April 7, 2021
SCENE
The power of TikTok: Making dreams come true
Star Diavolikis Scene editor
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mall businesses have sprouted on TikTok, many ranging from unique earring sellers to lip gloss sellers to special stickers. A scroll through the #smallbusiness tag on TikTok can show how well the app works for helping users achieve their dreams. Panaderia el Solecito in Yakima is a business that benefited from TikTok. Panaderia el Solecito is a small bakery that specializes in making flavored RedBull drinks, italian sodas and specialty bakery items. These items include “baskets,” which are made of little basket-shaped dough filled with a flavored cream and coated in fine sugar, as well as macaroons and jalapeno and cream cheese filled bread. All specialties are only around for a certain time, and may return after a period of being gone. Panaderia el Solecito uploaded their first TikTok on Sept. 25, 2020, and currently sits at 373 likes with 7,853 views.
Compared to their most recent video uploaded on March 30, it currently sits at 5,824 likes and 29.5 thousand views. Many videos show customers driving up to get their creative and colorful drinks or their bakery items. Many users started their own businesses from seeing how many became successful seemingly overnight, and many revolve around either makeup or unique earrings. One of the largest businesses that gained traction from TikTok is unexpected: a store focused on selling rubber ducks. The store named “What The Duck!” officially opened in 2020, with store owner and TikTok user @flippinmichaelbro making posts about it on his journey to open the store. The owner currently uses his account to post stories regarding his store, including comedic troublesome encounters with parents, showcasing items in the store and other various topics. The owner’s account currently has 762.8 thousand followers, and his videos range from 25,000 views to 1.5 million views.
Many users have had their personal lives affected by TikTok, such as Mikayla Nogueira. Nogueira is a beauty guru who started her journey on TikTok in 2020, and has since made an impact on many viewers. Nogueira told Allure in an interview posted on March 29 had a struggle regarding choosing between college or beauty school, and even though she chose college, she later dropped out due to having to be remote full time because of the pandemic. Nogueira said that her first ever TikTok was her mom giving students a tour of their farm’s chicken coop, which “blew up,” but her first viral beauty video was her technique to cover up her acne. “I did a video about how I cover my acne and it got 15 million [views],” Nogueira told Allure. “I was in a crazy state of shock. I had to seize the moment, so I just kept posting.” According to the article, Nogueira mentioned she will be having a “dream collab” soon with a company, and has been hired by a major agency.
Photos by Star Diavolikis/The Observer
April 7, 2021
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SCENE
How the stimulus has led to scalping collectibles Ondrea Machin Senior Reporter At the start of the pandemic, people were buying up toilet paper and masks and reselling them for an overpriced amount. Now, game shops are having the same issue with collectibles. Bailey Strom, owner of Windy City Toys and Collectibles, has been in this business for the last 10 years and recently opened his store a few months ago. Strom also uses Ebay to distribute his games and collectibles, as well as buy used models, repaint them and resell them for a decent price. Strom said he has seen a growing issue with people buying up rare collectibles and reselling them at a high price, just because the item is rare, such as models that are no longer being made. Strom also said he understands people want to make a profit, but “jacking up” the price is not the way to go, especially since the collectibles are memories and nostalgic to people. “Just because something’s rare and not in print anymore doesn’t mean you should try to sell it for a crazy outrageous amount because the person who’s buying it, that means something to them,’’ Strom said. Some stores, like GameStop, set limits on how many games and other items one person can purchase. Strom said with COVID-19, the warehouses have been having trouble meeting orders and with
Photo by Ondrea Machin/The Obsever
Windy City Toys and Collectibles’ Facebook page states its goal is to “provide some of the best quality hobby and toy products” to its customers. new releases, people want it as soon as possible and they are willing to pay a hefty price to get it. Strom said even though his store mainly offers miniature board games, he has still dealt with scalpers as well. “It’s hard and especially right now it’s a really big problem in our community, not necessarily Ellensburg, but the gaming community as a whole,” Strom said.
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The recent stimulus checks have played a big part in people buying up collectibles, Strom said. Strom also said $1,400 can buy 10 boxes of a rare item, and the buyer will resell them for $300 or more. But not everyone who received a stimulus check is a scalper. “A lot of my players were working, they had jobs it wasn’t like life or death... so for them I knew they were
going to come in and buy stuff with it,” Strom said. In these hard times of COVID-19, being able to spend money on something fun instead of survival allows people to support local business and helps put money back into the economy, Strom said. Strom also said he is happy to see the money going back into small businesses.
CWU offered spring events Ondrea Machin Senior Reporter In an effort to keep students in Ellensburg and minimize the spread of COVID-19, CWU offered quite a few activities over spring break. Students had the options of Monday Movie Madness, trivia, fireside chat, bingo, Geek Out, Game Out, a scavenger hunt and take-and-make kits. Each of these events, with the exception of fireside chats, were available in-person and virtually. OPR offered the fireside chat, which gave students the opportunity to sit around a fire, roast s’mores and chat. Geek Out, Game Out offered board games and video games. The take-and-make kits were at the information center and students could grab either a watercolor kit or a print making kit with all materials and instructions included. Clues for the scavenger hunt were posted on the Diversity and Equity Center’s Instagram page, @cwudiversity, and it gave students the opportunity to explore Ellensburg and the CWU campus. Participants got clues to find things from a building in town that existed prior to 2000 to taking a picture with three sculptures around campus. Assistant Director of Campus Activities and Wildcat Tickets Robbi Goninan said she was surprised at how many people participated both virtually and in-person. Since Kittitas county moved into
phase three at the start of spring break, the amount of people allowed for in-person events increased. “All the students have been awesome about it, I think everybody really understands where we are with this and wants to get back to engaging in-person,” Goninan said. Masks and social distancing were also followed in all the activities. Program Manager of the Diversity and Equity Center Justin Santoli, who was in charge of the scavenger hunt, said he was excited to see students engage through social media and in the community. “I’m just happy to engage with students online and even just posting the clues to our socials was some really nice engagement on our social media,” Santoli said. The activities over spring break got great feedback and the rest of the programs in the past have received great feedback as well, according to Santoli. With COVID-19 restrictions reducing, CWU plans to offer more in-person events this spring. “It’s spring, it’s nice out, we’re in phase three, there’s a lot of programming areas that are really excited to put on some outdoor programming for spring,” Goninan said. The Diversity and Equity Center have some great events coming up, such as pride month and hiring opportunities, and they will be posting them on their Instagram @cwudiversity.
Students, CWU to split $24 million in stimulus money Written by Mitchell Roland
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Photos by Casey Rothgeb Design by Rebekah Blum
tudents are set to receive $12 million of aid through the university as part of the third COVID-19 relief package that was passed last month. The legislation, which is officially known as the American Rescue Plan Act, provides grant money to state and local governments, as well as public universities. CWU will receive $24 million total in grants through the bill, with half the money going towards students, while the other half will be used for other university costs. Each of the two previous stimulus bills provided similar funding, and so far, CWU has distributed nearly $7.9 million to students. Joel Klucking, the university’s chief financial officer, said during the first two rounds of aid there was an application process where students had to explain how they have been impacted. This process was overseen by the office of the dean of student success.
Klucking said as of now, he hasn’t heard anything to suggest the process would differ this time. He also said the new round of funding would likely start back up again during the spring quarter. Students must request what expenses they wanted to be covered, such as rent or food. These requests are not guaranteed to be fulfilled, and during the winter students were capped at receiving $1,600. After a student applies, it is then reviewed by the committee to determine whether the student should receive funding for their requests. “So, if you say you’re just going to buy a new stereo with it, that’s not going to be very compelling,” Klucking said. “But if you need to make your rent payment, you’re going to have a more likely chance of being funded.” There are few eligibility requirements for the money. DACA students and international students do not qualify for the funding, and the money is expected to be used for educational purposes by students who experienced pandemic-related hardships.
However, there is no verification process on how the money is spent after a student receives it. “We have a couple of years to use the money, so we don’t have to do it all at once,” Klucking said. “We kind of feel that this is the last round, so the idea of giving some portion of it in the spring then sort of saving some portion of it for fall and winter kind of seems like an attractive option.” 8,134 students qualified for the first two rounds of payments. In the first round, 2,520 students received a total of $3,847,692. As of March 22, a total of $3,847,692 has been disbursed to 2,193 students in the second round of payments. CWU will have until September 2023 to spend the $24 million. The $12 million the university receives will go towards departments that have been impacted by fewer students being on campus. Klucking said in the current academic year, CWU has had $50 million in lost revenue. “Most of that is through housing and dining and the bookstore, you know all of those things that if the students are not on campus, then they’re not really participating in those kinds of activities,” Klucking said. Klucking said in a typical year, the university would have about $250 million in total revenue. However, the university has a revenue of about $200 million in the
fiscal year 2020. CWU has also prepped for a decrease in funding from the state. At the beginning of the pandemic, the governor’s office told all public universities in the state to prepare for a 15% permanent drop in funding. The university then took actions to prepare for this cut, which included furloughs last summer and staff layoffs. “That’s been the big question, what is the state going to actually cut us?” Klucking said. While CWU has prepared for the 15% cut, the state’s budget outlook has improved since last spring. Projections from the Washington Office of Financial Management last spring forecasted that the state would have a revenue deficit of $8.8 billion over the next three years. Over the summer, the number was revised to $4.5 billion, and in the fall the projection showed a revenue shortfall of $3.3 billion. Current projections from the state show that there is a deficit of about $100 million. Klucking said the current budget proposals from the State House of Representatives, the State Senate and the governor all have funding cuts that are less than the 15% which was originally expected. “The economy has rebounded quite a bit more than they thought it would, and they got $4 billion in CAREs money from the government,” Klucking said.
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OPINION
April 7, 2021
Adulting advice you never knew you needed
Addie Adkins Columnist I recently hit my third decade of living, which means I’ve had 12 years of “adulting” practice. I’ve learned many things along the way I wish someone had told me when I went out into the world on my own. Here are 12 pieces of advice that will help you out. Or not, you be the judge. Take Care of Your Skin You have a skin type, and you should buy specific products made for that type. For the longest time, I bought products that were too harsh on my skin because of acne, which only caused more acne. I recently realized no one is too young for night cream, eye cream or serums. I have a six step skin care routine now, and the only thing I’m mad about is the fact I didn’t find it sooner. Learn the Ways of the Planner Planners may seem old school but having everything written down feels motivating. The many advantages of planning include creating boundaries and school/ work/life balance, a sense of empowerment and an ability to visualize the future according to SkilledAtLife.com. The beauty of planning is how customizable you can make your experience; you can choose how much of a time commitment is put into it. I personally have a book planner, a digital planner and a white board. Some people use only their phones. Some people only use a desk calendar. Take some time each week and schedule your time, and make some weekly, monthly and yearly goals. If you are feeling adventurous, make a five- and 10-year plan. Even though the goals are written down, it doesn’t make them set in stone. You can still change your mind and take a different path.
doctors and probably for a reason. If you choose to make a diet change, do some research before you make a drastic decision. A study done on metabolism with former participants of the Biggest Loser showed that crash dieting can lead to long term negative effects. Always talk to a health care provider before participating in a new diet. Forget Fashion Fashion trends come and go, and then they come back around. I’m living that right now with boyfriend cut and flare/bell bottom jeans coming back into style. Fashion trends aren’t comfortable for everyone. I’m here to tell you just wear what’s comfortable and affordable. I don’t think it matters one way or the other if you are “on trend” or not. It’s about what you feel looks good on your body and what is most comfortable. Life is too short to live it uncomfortably. The Best Shoe Hack Children’s shoe sizes are equivalent to men’s shoe sizes but are bigger than women’s shoe sizes. If you wear a women’s size 5-8, chances are you will be able to find and fit in children’s shoes. For the most part, they are cheaper than adult sized shoes.
Some of the styles can be, well, childish, but for the occasions that you can find a shoe that fits your foot and your style, I highly recommend starting out your shoe shopping in the children’s department. Speaking of Shoes… Stop wearing shoes in your home. Do you have any idea what animals do on the ground? Do you know where the spit from coughs and sneezes land? Would you lay on the floor of a shopping mall or hospital? You track all that nastiness into your home and all over the floors when you wear your shoes in the house. Even if you vacuum every day and steam clean the carpets once a year, that’s still a lot of nastiness you are bringing into your home. Gross. Let’s Talk About Those Carpets Since we are on the topic of cleaning carpets, you should really have them professionally shampooed or steam cleaned at least once a year, though twice a year is better. It should definitely be on the “to do’’ list in the spring/summertime. Not only does it clean up all the nastiness mentioned before, but it will increase the lifespan of your carpets and potentially increase the return on your security deposit if you’re renting. Photo by Addie Adkins/The Obsever
Diet Fads Are Not Our Friends Depending on the millennium you were born in, you may or may not have heard of the Atkins diet, South Beach diet or the blood type diet. Some of the most astounding diet fads were the cabbage soup fad in the 60s, the Beverly Hills diet in the 80s or the human chorionic gonadotropin(hGC) diet that was popular right after I got out of high school. Most new diets that everyone else is doing are most likely not backed by
The One Fad I Stand Behind Do you know why everyone is obsessed with essential oils? Because there really is an oil for everything, and people have been using them for thousands of years. Have ants or spiders? Use peppermint or lavender oil. Are you stressed? Run a bath or hot shower with eucalyptus, spearmint and orange oils. The secret to this is you need the good stuff. That $5 bottle on Amazon is most likely fake and thus, worthless. Look up how essential oils are made, and you’ll understand why they are so expensive. Teatime is for Everyone Invest in a good kettle and learn how to make tea. No, microwaving water in a mug and throwing a tea bag in it isn’t the right way to make tea. The right way does actually involve boiling water on the stove and steeping the tea for a certain amount of time. Social Media Reminder… Again… Social media isn’t real life. It’s the best and the worst of life. Real life is all the mediocre middle parts. Don’t forget that. TV Revisited Re-watching your favorite shows from childhood as an adult is always a good idea. Yes, even the cartoons. It’s amazing the amount of adult jokes are hidden in animated movies and TV series which were included for the benefit of the poor parent who had to watch it with their kids. If you’re out of shows to binge watch on Netflix, I highly recommend being nostalgic one night and watching the kid’s shows you used to watch. Don’t Stop Learning Education doesn’t stop after college. For example, no one shared these fun facts of life with me, they are all things I learned along the way, and only a select few. The most important thing life has taught me so far is you can learn something from anyone. Practice actively listening; you’ll be amazed at the things you can learn when you pause your mouth.
Ditch your 3-in-1 body care, please Star Diavolikis Columnist When you are told to have good hygiene, 3-in-1 body care should never be involved in your routine. A product that is good to use for shampoo, conditioner, face wash and body wash seems too good to be true because it is. There are great differences between what your hair needs and what your body or facial skin needs. For starters, your facial skin is a lot more sensitive compared to the rest of your skin on your body, and improper care can cause your skin to produce more oil or be severely dry. In “Is 3-in-1 Body Wash for Men Worth It?” author Caleb Clark explains the dilemma with these products. “The main problem with 3-in1 products is that you’re sacrificing quality for convenience,” Clark wrote. “While your hair and skin will get clean, it may not be the most benefi-
cial for your overall health. The focus of the 3-in-1 products is to make sure you’re clean and sanitized. It’s not entirely focused on your skin and hair health.” To expand on this, if someone chooses to simply be clean, their skin and hair can still suffer from it. Shampooing your hair takes dirt and excess oil away, however your hair will get dried out from shampoo taking away all oil. This is why this needs to be followed up with a conditioner that focuses on repairing damaged or dry hair, and 3-in-1 body care does not provide all the repairing nutrients needed. I tried 2-in-1 hair care when I was in high school when I was short on money one week, and the experience was so uncomfortable I had no idea how people could willingly use these products. I do understand it may be the only product some people can afford,
however I am an advocate that if you can afford proper shampoo and conditioner, you should. When I washed my hair with this 2-in-1 before school at 7 a.m., my hair was already oily by 2:30 p.m. that day. My hair went flat due to the weight of the oil and my hair shined from far away. I tend to get oily hair fast, but never within a few hours. Right after I finished washing my hair with it though, my hair was very dry and felt brittle. This could have been the focus of the “shampoo” in “2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner,” and the aftermath of oily hair in such a short time was likely the “moisturizing conditioner” featured in the item’s description. I’m not sure how 3-in-1 body care can genuinely clean your body well, considering it is trying to care for your hair and body, which are completely different areas that require different care. Your pores on your body do not need
the shampoo and conditioner your hair and scalp need. There can be exceptions to being able to use 3-in-1, such as if you have hair so short that you do not really need to worry about the hair care part of it. If this is the case, why not just use body wash and ditch the hair washing, or simply get a regular shampoo along with the body wash? If 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 body care is all you can afford, I completely understand. If possible, saving up for better products would help you save on how fast you go through your hygienic products, which in turn makes it an expense less often. If you are using the same bottle of liquid for all three parts of your shower, you will logically go through the bottle faster due to how much you need to use per shower. Straying away from 3-in-1 body care can save you money and keep your hair and skin healthy and happy, so please consider it.
April 7, 2021
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OPINION
Review: “Neon Genesis Evangelion” and “The End of Evangelion” A dive into the controversial psychological series and a few brief character analyses Written by Abigail Duchow In light of “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0,” the fourth and final movie in the “Rebuild of Evangelion” series, being released in Japan, I decided to rewatch the original Japanese mecha anime series “Neon Genesis Evangelion” (1995-1996) and the movie “The End of Evangelion” (1997). The movie acts as the 26-episode-long show’s conclusion, with the events in the last two episodes of the show and movie occurring at the same time. It’s a show that the viewer has to really pay attention to make sense of, and even then it’s still a bit vague and abstract. Fair warning, spoilers ahead. “Neon Genesis Evangelion” The show is based in 2015 and focuses on 14-year-old Shinji Ikari, who becomes the pilot of Eva Unit 01, one in a series of 246-foot-tall bio-machines that synchronize with the nervous systems of their pilots and have force-fields called A.T. Fields. The purpose of the Eva units is to fight off Angels, which are giant alien beings that attack Tokyo-3 (the main setting of the story, a city designed to intercept Angels before they can reach Japan) for various reasons. The Eva units were created by Nerv, a special organization established to combat the Angels, which Shinji’s estranged dad, Gendo Ikari, is the commander of. There are also two other 14-year-old pilots, Rei Ayanami, pilot of Eva Unit 00, and Asuka Langley Soryu, pilot of Eva Unit 02. While this may just sound like a cool robot-fighting-action-science-fiction anime, it’s a lot more than that. The show focuses on the faults of humanity, living and relationships, as well as self-worth, awareness and acceptance (and the awkwardness of adolescence). The characters in the show have to come face-to-face with the reality of themselves and their relation to others. Shinji isn’t a typical protagonist in an action-type story. If you’re expecting a badass main character, you’re going to be let down by Shinji. He repeatedly runs away from being an Eva pilot and has his fair share of mental breakdowns. He admits he pilots Eva Unit 01 because people tell him to and he craves approval and praise, especially from his father, who constantly reminds Shinji that he is expendable to him. Shinji is terrified of rejection and loneliness, and it shows throughout the series. Piloting Eva Unit 01 is how he can be close to people, as well as restore his nonexistent sense of self-worth. Shinji isn’t heroic, and his actions aren’t driv-
Graphic by Rebekah Blum
en by a deep-rooted desire to help people or save the world. This is what makes him one of the most interesting and realistic protagonists I’ve ever seen in entertainment media. Asuka, while coming across as the most confident character, deals with the pain and feeling of rejection of finding her mom who hanged herself (and attempted to take Asuka with her) by putting all she has into piloting Eva Unit 02, as it’s all she has and it’s something she’s really good at. She wants someone to love her, but says she doesn’t need anyone and that she’s going to live for herself. This is a heavily-debated topic, but I don’t think Asuka liked Shinji. She is deeply insecure and wanted someone to love her, and Shinji just happened to be there. Asuka is more of a determined and badass protagonist than Shinji, but her reasoning for being a pilot is also rooted in wanting approval and wanting to be seen as better than Shinji and Rei (which she isn’t). This is why she hates Rei, and in my opinion, hates Shinji too. Rei is referred to by Asuka as being a “weird one.” Rei is a clone, and her character revolves around questioning identity and authenticity and if she can truly be human. She’s also pretty much the exact opposite of Asuka, being mostly emotionless throughout the whole series. Rei thinks of herself as a tool or an object that exists to pilot Eva Unit 00 throughout most of the series. Unlike the other two protagonists, she isn’t driven to pilot out of a desire for approval, though she’s the only person Gendo Ikari gives his approval to except for once to Shinji (but this could also be due to the fact that Rei is a clone of Gendo’s late wife, and Shinji’s mother, Yui Ikari. Weird, I know). Eventually Rei is able to think of herself as something other than a doll. She is the catalyst for the events that occur in “The End of Evangelion,” and doesn’t do exactly what Gendo created her to do. Throughout the show, the pilots face off against numerous Angels, adding the action aspect of the heavily psychological show. So, viewers get to see giant robots fighting huge alien beings along with deciphering the psychological meaning of the show. The creator of the show used heavy religious symbolism throughout the show, which doesn’t have much bearing on the plot but provides interesting visuals and names for things in the show. The drawing and animation is excellent, especially the scenery, Eva units and Angels.
Overall, the show has amazing writing and is incredibly complex. After finishing it the first time I spent hours scrolling through people’s analyses, theories and reviews of it. Every character’s writing is very complex and different, making them feel more real than characters in other series. And, on top of that, there is gripping action and great visuals. “The End of Evangelion” While the last two episodes of “Neon Genesis Evangelion” are happening in Shinji’s head, “The End of Evangelion” is what’s happening in the (mostly) physical world. The movie shows the “Third Impact,” an event triggered by Rei, during which Rei begins “Human Instrumentality,” which dissolves all humans on earth into Link Connect Liquid (LCL), basically conscious primordial soup, merging all human souls into one consciousness. Weird, I know. The reasoning is a lot more complicated than this, but basically, Rei causes the Third Impact and Human Instrumentality for Shinji. And this is where we really see that Shinji isn’t a typical hero. At first, Shinji wanted Human Instrumentality. He doesn’t want to face rejection or pain anymore, and if everyone is dissolved and becomes a single consciousness he won’t. But, after a long inner-battle, Shinji realizes that without other people, there is no individuality or meaning. He decides that life is about experiencing pain and joy and the company of others, and stops Human Instrumentality. Of course, this is after all of humanity has dissolved into LCL. So, this decision isn’t really heroic. Rei states that “Anyone can return to human form as long as they can imagine themselves in their own heart,” which is kind of ambiguous and up for interpretation, but indicates to me that people can choose whether they want to come back to the hellscape-that-is-now-Earth or not. “The End of Evangelion” is quite the experience and a great ending to “Neon Genesis Evangelion.” Really, it’s a happy ending for Shinji, who finally discovers meaning in his life, but only after destroying pretty much everything. The movie is consistent with the deeply psychological show, and has even more amazing visuals and action scenes. While the series is very controversial, I would definitely recommend it. It’s an unforgettable experience that’s made a huge impact on entertainment media. After watching it, I’ll never look at orange juice or Fanta the same again.
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April 7, 2021
SPORTS
Volleyball begins new season well prepared after a long offseason Rey Green Sports Editor Despite having to spread out and not having the ability to allow everyone on the court at the same time, the women’s volleyball team has been training hard. Head coach Mario Andaya said they have done a lot of skill work and volleyball fundamentals. Now that CWU is testing for COVID-19 every week, they are able to prepare for a Greater Northwest Atlantic Conference championship season. Andaya said the long offseason has been in their benefit for the younger players to take the opportunity to get better and get them working alongside the upperclassmen. “We’ve been training for a good three to four solid weeks and now we’re going to let our players loose,” Andaya said. Andaya said the team is staying in the moment and taking it day by day because with COVID-19 you’re never guaranteed anything. He said they are locked in on competing and doing their absolute best once games start. Senior Kylee Yamashita said it’s been a long time coming and everyone is very excited to workout. She also said that all their hard work is going to pay off.
Photo Courtesy of CWU athletics
Kylee Yamashita doing blocking drills during warm ups. “We’re in the gym for hours a day, in the weightroom, training room, it was both mentally and physically exhausting but that also gave us the opportunity to lean on each other and struggle together,” Yamashita said. Senior Leanna Shymanski said they learned how to work through adversity together. “We were also able to be in small groups outside of the gym and continue to get to know each other better on another level. It has really shown on the court,” Shymanski said.
Photo Courtesy of CWU athletics
Leanna Shymanski going through team drills during pregame warm ups. Yamashita said her goal is to make the most out of this spring and next fall and to live in the moment every single day and realize that being able to play is a blessing. She said she will not be taking her opportunities for granted. Shymanski said the team is driven by competing and improving individually in order to improve as a whole unit. “As a team, our goal is to just be us and to fall back on our train-
ing. We have been training in the gym for hours and whenever we might get into a situation where we feel uncomfortable, we can fall back on all the things we have been doing day in and day out,” Yamashita said. The next women’s volleyball games are set for April 9 against Western Oregon University and April 11 against University of Alaska Anchorage.
Opinion: Why this is the season the Mariners will make the playoffs Jared Galanti Columnist Once opening day comes around every year, the same words come out of every Mariners fan mouth: this will be the year that they make the playoffs. The Seattle Mariners have the longest active streak for any North American professional team without making the playoffs. Their last trip to the postseason was 2001. That year they won an MLB record 116 games, but ended up losing to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Ever since then there have been seasons in which they were close to breaking their streak, only to fade out at the end of the season. However, as opening day 2021 is upon us, there are four reasons to think that this everlasting touture for Mariners fans might finally be over. Young Position Players A way any good baseball team can be successful is by taking good players in the first year player draft that is held every June. General Manager Jerry Dipoto hit on his first two drafts by taking center fielder Kyle Lewis in 2016 and first baseman Evan White in 2017.
Both Lewis and White had pretty good rookie seasons last year with Lewis receiving the American League Rookie of the Year by an unanimous vote and White receiving his first gold glove for his excellent defence at first base. However, the draft isn’t the only place to find talented ball players. Back at the 2020 trade deadline Dipoto acquired Ty France, a third baseman that will serve as the team’s Designated Hitter while Kyle Seager, who has been on the team since 2011, may be playing his final season on the team. In that same trade Dipoto acquired Luis Torrens who will be the Mariners’ catcher for the future, as well as outfield prospect Taylor Tramell who made this year’s opening day roster at 23 years old. That is a lot of fire power on offence without even mentioning two of the Mariners’ top prospects in outfielder Jarred Kelenic and catcher Cal Raleigh, who both should make their debut at some point this season. Strong Starting Pitching Due to having a young staff along with the 60 game shortened season last year, the Mariners decided to implement a six man pitching rotation instead of the more traditional five.
The Mariners have decided that they will be implementing that again this year, but with more firepower than last year. Leading the staff once again will be Marco Gonzales. Gonzales has been the bonafide ace of the staff since 2019 and last year he had a really good season going 7-2 with 3.10 ERA over 10 starts. Behind him will be James Paxton. The Big Maple, as Mariners fans call him, returned after the Mariners traded him after the 2018 season to the Yankees. He signed a one year $8.5 million contract in February and has looked dominant in 2 spring starts, striking out 17 batters in 8.1 innings. After that it’s newcomer Chris Flexin, who was pitching for the Korean Baseball League the past few years before signing a two year contract with the Mariners in the offseason. Following him will be Justus Sheffield, Yusei Kikuchi and Justin Dunn, all who were on the Mariners roster last year and showed flashes of promise. Prospects on the Rise Another reason why the Mariners will make the playoffs this year is the players in their farm system that will be making an impact this year. Going into this season the Mariners have the No. 3 ranked farm system in all of baseball,
only behind the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres. Prospects like starting pitchers Logan Gilbert, Emerson Hancock and George Kirby could all be making their major league debuts this season and could make an impact. Like I mentioned before, outfielder Jarred Kelenic is poised to make his debut ASAP and should contribute right away. A Weak AL West The final reason why the Mariners are going to make the playoffs this year is because their division has gotten weaker this offseason. The Houston Astros, which won a world series a couple years ago, lost one of their best players in outfielder George Springer in free agency to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Oakland A’s lost their closer and shortstop to free agency as well. The Los Angeles Angels still have problems when it comes to their starting pitching and the Texas Rangers are headed into a full rebuild. The time is now for the Mariners to deliver something the city of Seattle hasn’t seen in almost 20 years: playoff baseball. They have all the pieces to make that happen and for once I actually feel confident that they will get it done.
April 7, 2021
SPORTS
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Women’s soccer to start spring season Rey Green Sports Editor
Due to the coronavirus outbreak during the fall, the women’s soccer team wasn’t able to have a season. They are now going to have a spring soccer season but it won’t be to compete for the Greater Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) championships. Head coach Michael Farrand still wants his team to compete and get better after this season is completed. “Ultimately we still want to win, so we don’t want to give any away. But overall, this season for us is about player development. Those both go hand and hand,” Farrand said. Farrand said building up to finally getting to play this year, CWU’s administration has done an amazing job making sure the players and coaches on staff are first safe and then capable to play. “We just want to get a chance to get into a game and have a positive impact and get a win in a game,” Farrand said. Junior Sydney Lowe said it feels really good to be back around her teammates and actually get to practice together. She said they haven’t had any contact with a ball until this spring. “It’s really exciting and we’re all really motivated to finally play and we’re ready for the first game,” Lowe said. Without practice and being able to be around each other as a whole unit, Lowe said they met together on Zoom and would just listen to one another in order to build team chemistry. Senior Emily Thomson said the long wait has built up a lot of ex-
Photo courtesy of CWU Athletics
Sydney Lowe is excited to play in spring. In the 2019 season she started in 17 games and scored a game-winning goal at Fresno Pacific University.
citement for the game on April 10. She also mentioned it has given them a lot of time to prepare. “I think we’ve really evolved since adding in all the freshmen to our team and all the other people as well,” Thomson said. Lowe echoed the same belief on the new additions to the team.
“As time grew on, we were able to scrimmage and that’s where we found out how to work with one another and that’s how we grew chemistry on the field,” Lowe said. Thomson said the team had a lot of Zoom calls and they would text or call each other frequently just to stay in touch as soon as COVID-19 relat-
ed guidelines caused restrictions and self-isolation. “It was really important for us to make the freshmen feel welcomed and make them feel at home,” Thomson said. The CWU women’s soccer team will be playing a six game season this spring. Fans will not be allowed in attendance, but it will be streamed live.
COVID-free from Page 1 have shown while navigating something as tough as this virus. “It shows that our team is disciplined,” Ortner said. “Like that’s one of our core values in our team, it’s discipline, you know do your job and you know in this situation our job is to stay COVID-free, practice and play. And have the discipline for when one of your buddies hits you up like ‘hey lets go hang out,’ ‘lets go do this,’ no man I can’t right now. Right now this is what’s important to me, it’s football.” Fisk echoed that same rhetoric about how the team has stayed digilent and understands what the program means. “I think it just says that our guys understand the core values of our program,” Fisk said. “They understand what we’re trying to do and football at CWU is important and it’s not just important to our kids, but to our fans and I think when you decide to play football here you decide to take on that responsibility of representing this institution.” Fisk said he thinks his team will become better as a group because of the way they have banded together when it comes to tackling the virus.
Photo courtesy of CWU Athletics
Head Coach Cristopher Fisk talking to his team during practice. The Wildcats are going to play their first game in over a year on April 10.
“I believe it was Coach [Nick] Saban who said the teams that handled COVID-19 the best will have the greatest chance to suc-
ceed and we’re kind of looking at it the same way,” Fisk said. “If we can handle this the best, if we can bank the most reps, if we can
have the least amount of guys miss practice, miss lifting, miss conditioning we have a greater chance to succeed.”
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April 7, 2021
ENGAGEMENT
COOL CAT: Alex Cleary Interviewed by Jared Galanti
Quote you live by?
Rugby player Alexander Cleary is one of the select few people to have had the honor to carry the United States flag at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Youth Olympics in Argentina. The ceremony took the under-18 athletes through downtown Buenos Aires and across the Olympic stage. Now, he’s a junior biology major at CWU with a specialty in ecology and evolutionary biology, and a member of Central’s rugby team. Here’s why you should know this Cool Cat.
Three fun facts?
“You can’t stop a man that never quits.” -Calvin Kattar Photo Courtesy of Alex Cleary
Career goals?
I really like to ski…. I’m a huge MMA [Mixed Martial Arts] nerd - I followed the UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] religiously… Last fun fact is that I’m really into archery.
Biology is something I really enjoy, and I think it gives me a lot of options for when I graduate college. I don’t have a set direction... I knew I liked animals a lot, so I thought ecology and evolution biology was a lot more fun and it gives me a lot of options… I would love to be a game warden. I’ve hunted since I was young. I love hunting. I would love to work in the outdoors and protect animals from poaching, regulate conservation biology… I’d like to take a shot of professional rugby after college so will try my hand at professional rugby then go back to school.
Depends on the season. If it’s in the winter, I’m either at Alder park or at the mountain at Snoqualmie or Mission Ridge, or I am on the rugby field. And then if it’s spring, probably by the Yakima River trying to go fish a little bit or I’m in the library… I am always on campus in the spring, whether that’s in the library or on the rugby field or in the SURC or in the science building.
Can you tell me a little bit more about rugby and how you got into it? Why is it a big part of your life?
Where can we find you hanging out?
Favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorites was probably either when I shot my first deer... That was a big moment for me, and then probably when I scored my first try. I was like 13 or 12 years old and it was in Las Vegas. I flew down with my team. I never scored a try before and I scored it and then I was kind of freaking out… There are so many good memories from my childhood.
Personal goals?
I would love to represent the United States from the national sevens team on the world stage and if I didn’t play in the Olympics I would at least love to get my cap nationally … [My] personal goal… we should live a happy life, raise a family. Obviously I’d love to travel but that’s my main goal -- graduate college first and then represent the U.S.
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It was something that was kind of unexpected. Growing up my family was super into wrestling... My dad was obsessed with wrestling, my brother wrestled… Before I turned 12 is when I started playing rugby, but before that I was playing football, I was wrestling and I was playing baseball. I was pretty good at baseball -- we won the Cal Ripken state championship when I was 10 and 11... I was super into those sports and then I had a bad experience playing baseball -- I was always the kid in the outfield that was like picking grass and super bored. Before I was all about contact - I played linebacker and I wrestled, so I just wanted to hit people. I was the younger brother: my dad played college football at Western but he also played rugby after he was done... I think the rugby culture is awesome… I got to travel the world, been to three, four, five different countries… It’s just such a cool sport -- the fact that there’s rugby fifteens, which is the 80-minute games on sand, then those sevens, which I’m obsessed with, which is like currently when they play the Olympics seven on seven 14-minute matches, so it’s just like you’re going and going and going it never stops.
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